Olympics: Abuja-based Wellness and Holistic Clinic position Nigeria for participation

Indications emerged yesterday that Nigeria may participate in the squash event of Paris 2024 Summer Olympics Games.

This came to light after the conclusion of the Abuja Squash Open 2023 tournament sponsored by Childcare and Wellness Clinic and Revitalise Wellness and Holistic Gardens in Abuja, the nation’s federal capital territory (FCT).

The tournament which drew the attention of hundreds of spectators spanned from 27 November to 2nd December and had a chart of 64 participants drawn from various states of the country.

Director of the tournament, Jerry Oguejiofor who expressed gratitude to the sponsor of the event expressed optimism that the country would participate in the Olympics Games.

“The take home here is that it is the biggest tournament in Abuja and Nigeria. The take home again is for us to make sure our players are well positioned now that squash is included in the Olympics. We hope that from here they gain more points because this is a PSA ranking tournament. So it would help them to gain more points in the world,” he said.

Mr Kingsley Ochonogor, the health service manager of Childcare and Wellness clinic justified the decision to sponsor the event saying it was in tandem with the outfit commitment towards enhancing the wellbeing of Nigerians.

He also explained that the initiative was aimed at rekindling the interest of sports loving Nigerians to partake in the game of squash.

He noted: “We love the sport, the game of Squash. From what we have seen so far it’s a breathtaking event. We play squash in one way or the other but we don’t know that it is called squash.

“So it is very interesting and that is why the stakeholders decided to support it. From the look of things I think it is going to be a sustainable event.

” You can see participants running from one point to another , hitting the ball and the other trying to aim towards it. Now there is a show of endurance and resilience and I think that is the beauty of squash and that is why we picked interest in it.

” It is also healthy for individuals. It’s a way of exercising yourself as you jump, sometimes you stretch your hands and legs. So there are so many interesting aspects about the sport.

“The stakes are always high. The coming year would be better than this since this is the maiden competition. Of course there is every room for improvement.”

Kwara state born winner of the female event, Ms Rufiat abdulaziz applauded the sponsors of the tournament adding: “This is the second biggest tournament in am participating in this year. It is actually a good idea because it brings alot of players from different states to come together and it’s a good development for the game.”